Improvement in coaches or carriages



J. ALLGAIER.

Coaches or Carriages.

N0l140,666. Patentedluly8,1873.

UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN ALLGAIER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN COACHES O R CARRIAGES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 140,666, dated July 8,1873 application filed December 17, 1872. r i

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN ALLGAIER, of the city and county ofPhiladelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented certainImprovements in Coaches or Carriages having Opening Tops, of which thefollowing is a specification This invention is applicable to landaucoaches, various landaus, full clarences, or any other coach, coupe, orcouplet; and consists in a novel construction and attachment of either,here shown as the rear top part of such vehicles, whereby the wholeframe of which said top part is composed is free to fold backwardwithout flexing its top or pieces composing its frame'intermediately oftheirlength. The front top part may also be similarly constructed andattached to fold forward; and the invention furthermore consists in anattachment of the side windows, whereby the same are made to swingbackwardly within the body as regards the rear top part, or forwardlywithin the body as regards the front top part, which provides forthefoldin g of said top portions, as described. The invention alsoconsists in a hinged attachment of the interior or seat back, both asregards the rear and front top parts of the vehicle, whereby said backsmaybe thrown down to permit of the side windows swinging over them, andwhich may be raised again after the top has been lowered or folded, asdescribed.

In the accompanying drawing, which forms part of this specification,Figure 1 represents a longitudinal Vertical section of a landaucoachconstructed in accordance with my improvements, and with its back andfront top parts raised Fig. 2, a similar view, showing said top parts intheir folded or lowered positions to convert the close coach into anopen landau and Fig. 3, a horizontal section with the parts in theposition shownin Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

A represents the bed portion of the coach B, the front portion of itsbase; and O, the drivers seat. D is the front top part, and E the backtop part of the vehicle, each composed of a top frame, a side frame, anda front or back frame, respectively, and both uniting at their tops whenclosed by any suitable lockin g device or fastening. The back top part Eis hinged below on its opposite sides to the bed portion A by hinges bon the rear side of the front uprights c, and by hinges d in similarrelation as regards the back 6 of said top part. Said back 6 and frontuprights c are likewise attached, but on their front sides, by hinges fg to the top h, the joints of said hinges being the same distance fromeach other that the hinges b d are, so that said top part Enot only isattached to the bed portion A by a parallel motion, but so that, whenfolded down and backward, the top frame h lies flat or close upon orover the uprights c and back 0, as illustrated in Fig. 2. Thisconstruction requires at least four sets of hinges, b, 01, and gthat is,eight hinges in all, or four on each quarter side. The front top part Dhas its back uprights t and front or forward uprights k hinged in theirfront by hinges L m to the bed portion A, and at their backs above byhinges a 0 to the top 0 to admit of said top part folding down andforward, as also shown in Fig. 2. To provide for this folding of eitherbody part D E the side windows F F are hung to swing inward, as onhinges or pivots q q arranged in rear of the back top part E and infront of the forward top part D, so that said windows, when swung inwardfrom the sides, lie, respectively, within or against the back e of theback top part and front is of the front top part.

This swinging arrangement of the side windows is believed to be newindependently of the folding construction of the top. To admit of saidwindows being thus swung or opened, and so that, when thus adjusted,they will lie out of the way behind the backsG of the seats, said backsare hinged below at 1, whereby they may be let down, as shown in Figs. 2and 3, to allow of the windows, as they are swung inward, passing overand in rear of said backs, which latter may be afterward raised in frontof the windows and be secured by bolts or other fastenings, if required.

.Leather curtains instead of glass may be used for the front windows, ifdesired.

What is here claimed, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is

1. The top part E having its sides, back, and

top united with one another by hinges f and g, 3. The seat back or backsG hinged below and with the bed part A by the hinges I) (1, as to thefixed or bed portion of the vehicle, in

specified. combination with the inwardly swinging and 2. The sidewindows F hinged to swing or opening windows F, substantially asspecified.

open inwardly against the back of the rear top JOHN ALLGAIER.

part E,'or inwardly against the front of the Witnesses:

forward top part 1), respectively, essentially A. T. EGGLETON,

as herein described. A. W. STEFFAU.

